Making Your way to Koh Kood

To go any further south than Koh Kood, you would find yourself in Cambodia, so this is the last port of call in Thailand. Surprisingly, although it is the second largest island after Koh Chang in this group of islands, it has been left largely untouched, with access mainly by the way of privately arranged transfers by the hotels. This brings an air of exclusivity, but there is now a direct connection from Laem Ngob, the nearest ferry port to Trat and its airport.

By Air

Flying is still quite restricted due to the fact that only Bangkok Airways has a service from Bangkok, and that’s only 3 times a day in the peak season.

By Bus

Regular air conditioned buses leave from Ekamai Bus Terminal on Sukhumvit Rd in Bangkok about every 40 minutes, from 6am to 11pm, so it’s a good service. The buses are air conditioned, and fairly comfortable. It takes 5 hours to reach Trat and then there are lots of pick up trucks with seats ready to take you to Laem Ngob around 30 minutes drive away. The fare is 20 baht. There are also buses from Pattaya and Rayong

Taxi from Bangkok

The distance from Bangkok is 340 Kilometres, but there are shared vans and limousine services to Trat. Always negotiate a price first with a taxi driver, although there are companies who will offer a fixed price to most places on the eastern seaboard. The best place to find a shared van is close to the Vieng Thai Hotel in  Road in Rambuttri Road, near Khaoshan Rd Bangkok. The fare is generally 250 baht one way.

Car to Laem Ngob

The drive down the eastern seaboard is probably one of the easiest in Thailand, especially if a rental car has been collected from Suvarnabhumi airport. This is right on the expressway to Chonburi and Route 3, which goes a long way as an open 3 lane highway until it narrows out. Simply get on the elevated expressway from the airport and head east.  Follow signs (which are Thai and English) for Chonburi, then the 344 for Klaeng.  When you reach this junction take a left and you are back on Route 3 and heading south for Trat. Remember in Thailand driving is on the left! The toll costs will come to about 120 Baht, and it’s wise to have some 20 baht notes available before heading off.

Boat to Koh Kood

The  smart Seatran boat bypasses Koh Chang, avoids Koh Mak and heads straight for Koh Kood. There is another service on the more colourful traditional vessel which takes in the three islands. So, it is possible to island hop, stopping off in Chang and Mak before arriving at Kood.  The Seatran boat service leaves on Fridays and Saturdays at 9amand takes two and a half hours at ba cost of 210 Baht each way. Any other days, the only way is by using the Koh Chang service and this takes most of the day, arriving in the afternoon. But there are worse ways to spend your time than sitting on the deck of a small boat in the Gulf of Thailand. The exclusive transfers still exist so it may be that your hotel will arrange for a private boat to collect you from Laem Ngob or even the airport. The hotels which transfer guests will also offer the use of their speedboat to non guests, providing there is space on board. From Laem Sok Pier there is the Siriwhite Speedboat, and at Dan Kao Pier the Mark House speedboat is available for 1,100 Baht per person.